Box forming and wrapping system



March 22, 1938. v J. 5. STOKES 2,111,700

BOX FORMING AND WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 21, 1935 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR.

- f iwu ATTORNEY.

Marbh 22, 1938. .1. s. STOKES BOX FORMING AND WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 21, 1935' 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mina;

ATTORNEY March 22, 1938. 5, STQKES BOX FORMING AND WRAPPING SYSTEM FiledAug. 21, 1955 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 I INVENTOR. BY IJJJ fii ATTORNEY.

'March 22, 1938. J. s. STOKES 2,111,700

BOX FORMING AND WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 21, 1955 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 1 ATTORNEY.

BOX FORMING AND WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 21, 1935 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEAjITOR. m. djflu M 611+ ATTORNEY.

J. s. STOKES 2,111,700 7 March 22, 1938.-

J. S. STOKES BOX FORMING AND WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed Aug; 21, 1935 a Sheets-Sheet e INVENTOR.

saidw' BY UZLULALQM I ATTORNEY.

March 22, 1938.

J. 5. STOKES Box FORMING AND WRAPPING sYsTEm Filed Aug. 21, 1935 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR.

I gmmm ATTORNEY.

March 22, 1938.

J. s. STOKES 2,111,700

BOX FORMING AND WRAPPJENG SYSTEM Filed Aug. 21, 1955 I 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Fig, 74.

INVENTCR. )4; 5!. JMA

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES T OFFECE 7 2,111,700 BOX FORMING AND WRAPPING SYSTEM Application August 21, 1935, Serial No. 37,163

8' Claims.

My invention relates to systems for covering and staying boxes, box covers, containers and the like, hereinafter generically termed boxes.

In accordance with my invention, box blanks, fed from a stack thereof, or cut from a strip of box material, are delivered to mechaninn for applying tabs or stay strips to hold the panels of the blank in box-forming position, and for effecting registered adhesive engagement of the 0 blanks so stayed with wrappers, labels, or the like, for transfer therewith to box-wrapping mechanism which completes the application of the Wrappers'to the stayed blanks or boxes.

My invention further resides in the combinations and arrangements hereinafter described and claimed.

This application is a, continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 665,520, filed April 11, 1933, upon which has "issued Patent No. 2,016,462.

For an understanding of my invention, refer once is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete boxwrapping system;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, on enlarged scale, of blank forming mechanism of the system of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a strip of box material illustrating scoring and cutting operations effected by the mechanism of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 illustrates one of the blanks produced by the mechanism of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a. rear elevational view, on enlarged scale, of the wrapper coating and conveying mechanism of Fig. .1 and of the box blank staying and transfer mechanism of the same figure;

Fig. 6 is a detail view, in plan, of parts appearing in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view, partly in section, and on enlarged scale, of mechanism shown in Fig. 1, for transferring box and wrapper assemblies;

Figs. 7a and 7b illustrate parts appearing in Fig. 7 in different operative positions;

Fig. 8'is an end elevation, partly insection, of parts appearing in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan View, on enlarged scale, of mechanism shown in Fig. 1, for conveying the box and wrapper assemblies to the form. block of the wrapping machine;

Fig. 10, in perspective, diagrammatically illustrates the steps of forming stayed boxes performedby the system of Fig. 1;

Fig. 11, in perspective, illustrates an individual box and wrapper assembly;

Fig. 12, in perspective, illustrates the completed box;

. Fig. 13 is a plan view of a system which is a modification of the system shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 14 is a side elevational View; on enlarged scale, of blank staying and feeding mechanism shown in Fig. 13.

Referring to Fig. 1, the mechanism BC cuts box blanks from the strip S3 and delivers them in succession to the staying mechanism Q which applies tabs to the box corners formed by the erected panels of the blanks B. The stayed blanks or boxes are transferred from the staying machine by mechanism BB and deposited upon wrappers W during their transport by conveyor C from the wrapper coating mechanism G toward the wrapping machine WW, which may be of any suitable type, but is preferably of the type shown in Federwitz Patents Nos. 1,541,255 and 1,924,681. The wrappercoating mechanism G and conveyor C maybe of any suitable type, though preferably similar. to that disclosed in Federwitz Patent No. 1,770,483 or Davis No.

1,818,198. The transfer mechanism BB is preferably of the type disclosed in Stokes et al. Patent 2,018,237; the staying mechanism Q is substantially similar to that of Davis Patent No.

728,086; the blank cutting mechanism BC corresponds to the machine disclosed in Stokes et a1. Patent 2,048,301; and the unit L, when used to supply the strip of box material, is preferably of the type disclosed in the aforesaid Stokes Patent 2,048,301.

The strip S3 of box material is gripped by the jaw structure of the reciprocating carriage 18 of the blanking machine BC so that as the carriage moves to the left to the position shown in Fig. 2, it pushes the leading edge of the strip between the knives of the head 99 which effect, or complete, severance of blanks B, Fig. 4, from the strip.

As set forth in the aforesaid Stokes Patent 2,048,301, the transverse scores y, y and slits z, a, Fig. 3, may be formed by knives of the carriage 18 or, as disclosed in the same patent, the carriage 18 may be used simply to feed the strip to the head 19 whose knives perform the crossscoring and removal of the waste pieces 0. The longitudinal scores .r, as may be effected, during feed of the strip by carriage 18, by the scoring knives 2!. Preferably, twosets of knives 2| and 22 are carried by a mounting which is rotatable to bring one or the other set of knives to scoring position. This provision facilitates substitution of one set of knives for the other when resharpening is necesssary, or when the distance between the scores is to be changed for a different size of box.

The motor 23 of the blank-forming mecha" nism BC, through the belt 24, pulley 25, clutch mechanism controlled bylever' 51, and gear 2'1, drives the cam 28 having a cam slot 29 which rocks the lever 30. Link 31 connects lever 30 to arm 32 to effect oscillation of gear segment 33 to effect rocking of crank 34 which has a crank pin connected to rod 55 for effecting reciprocation of carriage E8. The shaft 36, driven from gears 31 38, shaft 39 and gear 21 operates the slide 40 of the carriage I8, as more fully described in the aforesaid Stokes et al. Patent 2,048,301.

It suffices here to say that the timing is such that the slide 48 is moved upwardly to clamp strip S3 against top plate 4I when the carriage I8 is at the right limit of its travel, as viewed in Fig. 2, so that, as previously described, subsequent movement of the carriage to the left feeds the strip between the jaws of head I9 which are at this time separated.

When the carriage I8 is substantially in the position shown in Fig. 2, the slide 42 of head I9, carrying suitable knife structure, is moved upwardly to complete the trailing end of one blank and to form the front end of the next blank. While the strip is held by the clamping action of head I9, the slide 40 of carriage I8 is moved downwardly and remains down for and during the return stroke.

The completed blank, Fig. 4, with transverse scores y, y and longitudinal scores 1!, a2, is transferred by mechanism including rolls 43 and conveyor 44 to the receiving station of the staying mechanism Q; the type shown in Figs. 5 and 14 being of the type known as a quad-stayer, exemplified by Davis et al. Patent No. 728,086. By this mechanism or unit, the sides of each box blank are brought to vertical or box-forming position and stays tI applied to overlie the corners. In the modified system of Fig. 13 in which the blank-cutting mechanism BC and strip feeding unit L are omitted, the quad-stayer Q, as shown in Fig. 14 hereof (and in Figs. 2a. and 2b of aforesaid Davis et al. Patent No. 728,086), is provided with mechanism FB for feeding blanks B from a stack SB.

Briefly, starter 202 beneath the stack of blanks is provided at its rear end with a lip 293 for engagement with the outer edge of the bottom blank during the inward movement of the starter. Through this engagement of lip 203 with the bottom blank the blank is carried into the bite of the feed rolls 2M, 2M by means of which the blank is fed toward the block or plunger I81.

Starter 202 is arranged to slide lengthwise of the feed-table 20D and is operated by means of lever 204 having connected therewith a rod 295 operated by eccentric 206. The blank after having been discharged from the feed rolls 28L 21H onto the breaking rods 201 is engaged by a reciprocating pusher 288 and pushed into position bcneath the block or plunger I51. For the actuation of the pusher 288 it is connected by link 2I3 with the lever 2I2 having connected therewith a rod ZII engaged by cam 259 on the eccentric shaft.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 14, the unstayed box blanks from unit BC or from a stack SB are in succession delivered beneath the form or block I61 of the staying mechanism Q. As the block carries the blank downwardly, the sides of the blank, in the usual and known manner, are bent to vertical position and tabs tI cut from the strips S8 are automatically applied to the vertical corners formed by erected walls of the blank. This operation takes place once for each cycle of operation of the wrapping machine WW which in the system of Fig. 1 is timed to the blankforming mechanism BC. The stayed blanks or partially finished boxes B are transported by the conveyor C5 to the right, as viewed in Figs. 5 and 14, to position above the U-shaped plunger E68 of the transfer mechanism BB. The stayed blanks in succession are raised by plunger I 68 above the receiving position of the transfer arm 45 of the unit BB, Figs. 1 and 13. With the plunger I58 in its raised position, the arm 45 swings to bring its suction head 460. into the groove of plunger I68 (Fig. 6) beneath the stayed blank or box. The plunger I68 thereupon descends to receive the next stayed blank or box, and arm 46 swings to bring the box carried by it beneath the transfer plunger 41. Suction is then applied through plunger 4'! to hold the box thereto, and the suction of head 46a is discontinued, the arm 46 returning to receive the next stayed box which, in the meantime, has been raised to position by the plunger I68.

The mechanism for lifting plunger I68, shown in Fig. 5, comprises the plunger rod I69 guided by support I10 and provided with a rack which meshes with pinion I1! driven by gear segment I12 oscillated by reciprocation of rod I13 suitably operated from the driving mechanism of the unit BB.

The quad-stayer Q, the box-bender BB and the blank-forming mechanism BC are synchronized with the gluer G and the wrapper machine WW so that each mechanism operates once during a cycle of the complete system. Briefly, in the system shown, the cable 48 is actuated once for each operation of the wrapping machine WW to trip the one-time clutch of the blank-forming mechanism BC which, in turn, during its cycle, actuates cable 50 to trip the one-time clutch of the quad-stayer Q; during the resulting cycle of the quad-stayer, it actuates cable 49 to trip the one-time clutch of the bending and transfer mechanism BB which, during its cycle of operation, actuates cable 63 to trip the one-time clutch of the wrapper-coating mechanism G.

The gluer mechanism G, Figs. 1 and 13, for supplying coated wrappers may, as above stated, be of the type disclosed in Davis Patent No. 1,818,198. Briefly, the wrappers W, stacked on the table 53 of the gluing machine, are removed one at a time by the suction arm 54 which delivers them into the guides 55, whereupon the rolls 55 feed them into engagement with the adhesive-applying roll 51. Each freshly coated wrapper is, in turn, deflected from the gluing roll 51 by stripper blades 59 onto the nose B0 of the conveyor 0.

The operation of the gluing mechanism is intermittent; i. e., the wrappers W are removed in succession and delivered to the conveyor C which moves them step-by-step beneath the plunger 41 of the blank transfer mechanism BB which, as above stated, deposits stayed blanks, or boxes, in succession onto the wrappers, each reciprocation of plunger 41 effecting adhesive registered engagement between the bottom panel of a stayed blank and the bottom-covering panel of a wrapper. The gluing machine is provided with its usual one-cycle clutch which is tripped by lever 82 of the bending mechanism BB and which is automatically disengaged when its cycle has been completed.

For insuring accurate registration of the wrappers, there is provided the reregistering gripper SI which, after a wrapper has passed beneath it and while conveyor C is at rest, is dropped in back of the trailing end of the wrapper. It is then advanced and suction applied for grasping of the edge of the wrapper. The gripper 6| carthe plunger 88 descends,

rying the wrapper then moves back to a definite registered position, and while in this position, with the conveyor C stationary, the plunger il deposits a stayed box upon it. The specific mechanism for operating the reregistering gripper and the one-time clutch mechanism of unit BB are fully described in aforesaid Patent 2,018,237.

The assembly, comprising the stayed box blank and wrapper, is moved from beneath the plunger 41 by conveyor C to a position adjacent the transfer device Cl, shown in detail in Figs. '7, 7a, 7b and 8. The inverted T-shaped arm 64 of the device is adapted to engage a stayed box at a station beyond the assembly station (Fig. l) and push the assembly transversely! of conveyor C onto an intermediate conveyor C2. The arm '64, as shown, member 65 which is reciprocated by the chain 66 driven by chains 61, 61a, through the sprockets 69, 10, H and". The arm 64 is held in the position shown in Fig. '7 against the stop 13 of block 65 by spring 14 which encircles rod 15 pivotally secured to the end of arm 64 and slidable through the pivoted block 16. After arm Ed has moved to such extent that the assembly has been transferred to conveyor C2, arm 64 engages the stop or pin .71 so that as carriage '65 continues to move forward, arm 64 is swung in clockwise direction until pivot 18 passes over center, whereupon spring 14 expands quickly to move the arm 64 to the full-line position shown in Fig. 7b; Shortly thereafter the direction of movement of chain '65 is reversed to return the carriage 65 with the arm 64 raised to avoid hitting the assembly next to be transferred. As carriage 65 approaches its extreme left-hand position, the arm 65 engages the stop 19, Fig. 7a, which, upon continued movement of member 65, effects counterclockwise movement of arm 64 until the pivot 18 passes over dead center, allowing spring 14 quickly to expand and return arm '64 from its full-line position to its vertical position against stop 13.

The frame member 80, which guides chain 66, is mounted upon a bracket Bl secured to and extending from part 'of the frame of the transfer unit BB.

As conveyor C2 moves the assembly to the right, the bar 82, Figs. 1 and 13, engages the box and turns it through a substantial angle and onto conveyor C3. The continued movement of the assembly to the right is accompanied by further turning movement, so that eventually the box and wrapper assembly, astransported by conveyor C3, is substantially at right angles to the position it occupied on conveyor C.

Conveyor C3 moves intermittently in timed relation to the units previously described and to the wrapping machine WW.' When the assembly on conveyor 03 is in position beneath arm 83, the side panel of the wrapper extending beyond the edge of conveyor C3 is wiped upwardly into engagement with the corresponding box wall .by the vertically reciprocating member 91.

More specifically, as each assembly moves to the right, Figs. 1 and 13, it is arrested by stop 84 operated from the reciprocating plunger 88. As the stop member moves with it to arrest and position the assembly, and after the aforesaid wiping operation has been effected, the stop is raised by plunger 88 to permit transport of the assembly by conveyor C3 to the right from its position beneath the plunge-r B8 to a position in front of the wrapper unit is pivotally mounted on a WW, from which it is moved into the path of the form block F of the wrapping machine by transfer mechanism C i (Figs. 1, 9 and 13), including the arm 105 which is pivotally mounted upon bracket lill extending from slide H18 of the wrapping unit beyond the end of conveyor 03. Suction is exerted upon one of the side walls of the stayed blank by the head I09 which is pivoted to arm It. Pin Illba in arm ms swings away from lever web upon clockwise movement of arm W6, causing springs H360 to press the clamping fingers lilfid against the box. Upon return movement of arm H35, pin iota engages lever 661) to open the clampingfingers liiiid for reception of another box.

The arm lid connected to head Hi9 constitutes, with arm H36, a parallel-motion linkage for effecting rectilinear movement of the box from its position on the conveyor, to a registered position directly beneath the form block F of the wrapping machine. The movement of head Hi9 is controlled'and timed by cam Ill having a groove I 52 with which engages the cam follower H3 at one end of a bell crank I l t whose other end is provided with a gear segment H engaging gear HS to whose shaft is secured the 'arm ill. The link M8 connects arm ill to arm I IQ of shaft lZEI to which the arm W6 is secured. The mechanism is constructed so that when head ms is in the receiving position shown in Fig. 9, the axis of rotation of arm HT is in the same straight line as the center of rotation of the opposite ends of link MB. This relation can readily be effected by adjustment of stop l2l. Similarly, when head are is at the other end of its stroke, the aforesaid centers are again in the same straight line, as provided by the adjustable stop IZZ. This insures that the head at both ends of its stroke will always come exactly to the same positions.

The completion of wrapping the box is effected by downward movement of the form block adjacent the usual wrapping tools such as brushes, marginal turn-in blades, press-er blocks, etc., generally as disclosed in the aforesaid Federwitz Patent No. 1,541,255. The wrapping machine is, as usual, provided with a treadle which, when depressed and released, trips the onetime clutch to allow one cycle of movement and which, if held down, allows the cycle to repeat until the treadle is released, whereupon the machine finishes the cycle and stops.

For each cycle of the wrapping machine, as in prior simpler combinations utilizing a wrapping machine and a gluing machine, the one time clutch of the gluing machine is tripped so that it feeds and coats a wrapper for each cycle of the wrapping machine. In the system disclosed, the gluing machine is coupled to the con veyor system including conveyor C, trans-fer member Cl, conveyors C2, C3 and transfer mechanism CG, so that for each tripping of the wrapping machine, each of the wrappers and assemblies is advanced to the next stage; concurrently therewith, another box is formed from the strip S3, a blank is stayed by unit Q, and a stayed blank is deposited upon a wrapper to form an assembly, 1. e., at any given instant there are several boxes in many different states of completion.

In the event, for any reason, a stayed blank is not deposited on a wrapper by plunger 51, the wrapper simply eventually falls off the end of conveyor C and does not continue along the normal path of the assemblies to the wrapping machine, thus avoiding any possibility of the adhesive coated wrapper becoming entangled in the subsequent mechanism of the system. The conveying elements, such as Cl to C4 may be omitted and an operator employed to transfer the assemblies from the conveyor to the wrapping machine or to a feed slide corresponding generally to mechanism C4. In such modification, all units are synchronized, as above described. However, the fully automatic system is preferred.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for making wrapped boxes from strip box-material and individual wrappers comprising means for conveying a wrapper step-bystep toward a wrapping station, mechanism for feeding the strip of box-material and cutting a one-piece blank therefrom for each cycle of the machine, means for erecting wall structure of a blank cut by said mechanism from the strip of box material, mechanism operative for each cycle of the machine to apply corner-stays to the erected wall structure of a blank, and transfer means at an assembly station in advance of said wrapping station operating for each cycle of the machine to transfer a blank stayed by said staying mechanism into adhesive attachment with a wrapper engaged by said conveying means.

2. A machine for making wrapped boxes from strip box-material and individual wrappers comprising means for conveying wrappers step-bystep to an assembly station and from said assembly station toward a Wrapping station, mechanism for feeding the strip of box-material and cutting a one-piece blank therefrom for each cycle of the machine, means for erecting wall structure of a blank cut by said mechanism from the strip of box-material, mechanism operative for each cycle of the machine to apply cornerstays to the erected wall structure of a blank, box-wrapping mechanism at said wrapping station operating once for each cycle of said machine, and transfer means operating for each cycle of the machine to transfer a blank stayed by said staying mechanism into adhesive engage ment with a wrapper conveyed to the assembly station by said conveying means and to transfer a box and wrapper assembly from said assembly station to said box-wrapping mechanism.

3. A machine comprising box-wrapping mechanism, mechanism operating once for each cycle of the machine to apply stays to erected panels of a one-piece box-blank, mechanism for conveying individual wrappers toward said boxwrapping mechanism, transfer means operating for each cycle of the machine to transfer a box from said staying mechanism into registered adhesive engagement with a wrapper transferred to an assembly station in advance of said boxwrapping mechanism by said conveying mechanism, and mechanism in advance of said boxwrapping mechanism for applying a wrapper panel to an erected wall of a box registered thereon by said transfer means.

4. A machine for making wrapped boxes from strip box-material and individual wrappers comprising box-wrapping mechanism operating once for each cycle of the machine, mechanism operating once for each cycle of the machine for feeding, scoring and cutting a strip of box-material to form a box-blank, mechanism operating once for each cycle of the machine to stay a box-blank produced from said strip by said scoring and cutting means, means for delivering an individual wrapper to an assembly station in advance of said wrapping mechanism for each cycle of the machine, and transfer means operating for each cycle of the machine to effect register of a blank stayed by said staying mechanism with a wrapper transported to said assembly station by said delivery means and to transport an assembly from said assembly station to said box-wrapping mechanism.

5. A machine comprising box-wrapping mechanism, mechanism operating for each cycle of the machine to apply stays to erected panels of a one-piece box blank, mechanism for feeding a one-piece box blank from a stack thereof to said staying mechanism for each cycle of the machine, mechanism for conveying a Wrapper to an assembly station in advance of said box- Wrapping mechanism for each cycle of the machine, transfer means operating for each cycle of the machine to transfer a box from said staying mechanism into registered adhesive engagement with a wrapper transferred to said assembly station by said conveying mechanism, and mechanism operating to' apply a panel of a wrapper to the wall of a box registered thereon by said transfer means prior to operation upon the assembly of said box-wrapping mechanism.

6. A machine comprising mechanism for applying wrappers to boxes, means for conveying wrappers along a path toward said wrapping mechanism, mechanism for applying stays to box blanks, transfer means operating for each cycle of the machine to transfer a stayed box blank from said staying mechanism into registered adhesive engagement with a wrapper in said path, and mechanism along said path for applying a panel of a wrapper to a wall of the box registered thereon by said transfer means.

7. A machine for making wrapped boxes from strip box material and individual wrappers comprising reciprocating form-block structure, wrapping tools movable toward and from the path of said form-block structure, means for conveying wrappers into the path of said form-block structure, means for feeding strip box material along a path toward said form-block structure, and mechanisms in said second path comprising mechanism for transforming said strip box-material into box-blanks, mechanism for applying stays to the blanks to form stayed boxes, and mechanism for registering the stayed boxes on said wrappers at an assembly station in advance of, and for delivery therewith to, the path of said form-block structure.

8. A machine comprising a reciprocating form block, sheet-applying tools adjacent the path of said form block, a reciprocating carriage for transporting assemblies, of boxes and wrappers partially applied thereto, into the path of said form block, relatively movable members on said carriage for externally engaging opposite sides of a box extending substantially parallel to the direction of movement, and mechanism to effect clamping engagement of said members with a box when said carriage is away from the path of said form block.

JOHN S. STOKES. 

